Entering a Hazardous Route

After joining up with the Villet Imperial Trading Fleet, Shinnosuke and the others set out toward their first destination, the 6325 Star Union.

The Villet fleet consists of five medium-sized cargo ships, each around 5,000 tons, but none are equipped with anything more than basic anti-aircraft weaponry.

Despite being empty, it's remarkable they managed to sail from the Rimlia Galactic Empire without any escort.

Apparently, they were pursued by a small group of space pirates during their journey to the Sirius Stellar Province, but managed to shake them off somehow.

Then again, skilled space pirates might realize that a freight convoy sailing without any escort could either be empty or serving as a decoy for coastal patrol forces, and thus choose not to risk an attack.

But that changes when valuable cargo is on board.

Not only would the cargo be stolen by pirates, but the loss of a valuable ship and crew would be incalculable.

Balancing these risks and making the right judgment to avoid them is difficult, and a wrong decision could lead to irreversible consequences.

It is precisely this ability to assess such situations that merchants and traders must possess—and that is why Villet chose Kasimura Company, led by Shinnosuke, as the escort this time.

Incidentally, the escort fee charged by Kasimura Company is slightly lower than that of other escort vessels in the same class.

While most escort vessel operators use modified civilian ships, Zani and Ira are no exception; however, Kasimura Company stands out because all three of their escort vessels are genuine military vessels, which increases their reliability among escort personnel.

Although one might assume that using military vessels would increase costs, this is actually not the case. Military vessels, designed from the outset for combat operations, may be more expensive to build than civilian ships retrofitted with military equipment, but they offer significantly better cost performance in operation compared to converted civilian vessels.

Moreover, although Kasimura Corporation isn't offering ultra-low prices, it sets its profits low, making its ships relatively affordable compared to others, despite boasting high-performance escort vessels. Given that it has maintained a 100% success rate in escort missions so far, it's no wonder the company's reputation within the industry continues to rise.

This time, Kasimura Corporation is making a grand display by deploying all of its escort vessels, which is a win-win situation for Villet: it reduces the risk of attack and lowers escort costs, resulting in substantial profits.

Shin nosuke's group, having joined forces with five ships including the flagship Elephant A3, the command vessel of the convoy Villet is aboard.

Except in emergencies, Shin Nosuke will focus solely on commanding the escort fleet, leaving the control of the Yatagarasu's helm to Milena, seated at the deputy pilot's station.

"Joined forces with the Villet Imperial Trading convoy. Data link established... From the escort command ship Yatagarasu to Elephant A3: From this moment onward, our escort fleet will assume responsibility for guarding your convoy. We look forward to working together."

"This is Elephant A3, likewise, please take care of us."

Seyla, seated at the communications and navigation operator station, is responsible for selecting the route and navigating the entire convoy.

Both Milena and Seyla are playing crucial roles as combat-ready personnel, not trainees.

Yatagarasu takes position at the rear upper part of the convoy, Tsukikage at the lower part, and Fubuki at the front, each assuming a defensive posture to monitor the surrounding airspace, forming a diamond formation centered on Elephant A3.

"Each vessel has reached its designated position."

Shin nosuke nods in response to Seyla's report.

Understood. Then we begin our departure. The escort group will maintain the cruising speed of Villet's convoy. Each vessel must carefully maintain its position and distance from the others, and remain vigilant—no lapses in watch!

'2nd ship, Tsukikage, understood.'

'3rd ship, Fubuki, understood.'

Eight ships—five cargo vessels from Villet and three escort vessels—formed their formation and set out toward the 6325 Star Union.

Even after passing through the Akneria Galactic Federation territory and entering international space, there were no signs of pirate ships—so far, everything had gone smoothly.

"Approaching the jump point shortly."

"Understood. First, our flagship will perform the space jump, followed by Tsukikage. Tsukikage and Yatagarasu will secure the destination point, then the five Villet cargo ships will follow, and finally, Fubuki."

Following Shinosuke's orders, Yatagarasu and Tsukikage moved to the front of the convoy.

"Approaching the spatial jump point."

"Understood. Yatagarasu will jump first, followed by Tsukikage after 30 seconds. The cargo ships and Fubuki will execute the jump three minutes later."

"Understood. Coordinate calculations and fixation of the jump destination completed. Milina, please proceed."

"Got it!"

Milina pushed the throttle lever forward, accelerating the Yatagarasu.

"Reaching warp insertion velocity. Approaching warp point—here we go! Countdown: five, four..."

"Ah, that's my—"

"Two... Warp!"

With Milina's voice, the Yatagarasu executed a spatial jump.

Following the Yatagarasu, Tsukikage, the cargo convoy, and Fubuki executed spatial jumps, one after another, emerging into the target space zone.

The jump destination lies in an international space zone midway between the Akneria Galactic Federation and the 6325 Stellar Alliance—a hazardous region featuring protruding asteroid belts and known for pirate activity.

Although no anomalies have been detected in the surrounding space, maximum vigilance is required.